blinky

I have a 2003 Litespeed road bike , titanium , want to install a quick release seat post clamp - I removed the bolt/screw that tightens the existing clamp and what remains looks like it's part of the seat tube , wasn't expecting this , thought it would be a removable piece - does anyone know if a braze-on clamp is common for a bike of this era , 17 years old doesn't seem like a long time ago - I guess the quick release clamp would just go above this clamp .

dsbrantjr

Or use a quick release bolt on the existing clamp. Here is an example: https://www.amazon.com/Promax-Clamp-.../dp/B007Y5G9Z4

Litespud

is this an LS Classic? That’s the only LS road frame of that vintage that I know of had a traditional seatpost clamp (ie, no collar). If so, it doesn’t need a collar. Can you post a pic?

dsaul

It wouldn't be brazed on a titanium bike, it would be welded, but yes clamps are sometimes welded onto seat tubes. You will not be able to use a quick release clamp on that bike, if it has a welded on clamp. Putting a clamp above the existing clamp will not work, because it won't stop the post from rotating. Quick release seat post clamps are never able to clamp as firmly as a bolt and have a tendency to allow the seatpost to slip.

blinky

blinky

After reading one of the other posts regarding slippage , that sounds like a great option , never knew something like that was available , great forum , big collective knowledge base !!

Litespud

I’m a little mystified - your pic shows what looks like a stainless steel collar clamp like what’s on my 2000 LS, but that collar is removable. Is yours simply pressed on tight or is it actually welded in place? It makes no difference to the fix suggested by others, I’m just curious (I’m a fan of “vintage” Litespeeds)

blinky

How would you know if the bolt size is identical to the original ?

dsbrantjr

They tend to be fairly standard-sized; since it is a bolt and nut there is no thread compatibility to deal with.

alcjphil

Unless of course the other side of the seat clamp is threaded. In that case a quick release seat clamp would probably not work very well

blinky

I removed the threaded bolt that tightens this clamp around the seat post and the collar doesn't move with finger pressure - in my picture there appears to be weld evidence on the nearby tubes but not near that collar - it hasn't been removed in 17 years and so maybe it's just on there very tight now - being stainless steel I'd have to cover the teeth of my plyers in any attempt to twist it off - what do you use to get it off ?

On a different topic , when you research the business history of Litespeed on the web , it appears that they sold the company along with the rights to the name in 1999 - so the question that still lingers in my mind is whether there was a transition period where the bikes continued to be made by the former Litespeed company - I'd like to think the answer is yes which would mean our bikes would have that Litespeed pedigree ??

blinky

The bolt component of this clamp appears to be threaded so that a nut can be screwed on one end - then I think it works similar to a quick release skewer on a bike wheel - in this case though the bolt on this clamp replaces the original threaded bolt on the existing seat clamp of the bike - my picture above shows the current stainless steel seat clamp with threaded bolt hole - dsbrantjr would probably be able to say if my interpretation of how it works is correct ??

Litespud

my seat clamp just wriggles off - but it’s been off every few years anyway. I suspect that yours is simply stuck on there after 17 years - you could likely remove it by tapping around the bottom edge with a drift pin, but there’s really no need to remove it in any case - just figure out some sort of QR pin like the others have suggested.
As I understand it, the Lynskeys sold the company to ABG (?), but there wouldn’t have been an instantaneous and wholesale reshuffling of staff - the same welders and fabricators would likely continue doing the same work, they would just answer to different management. Maybe some of them might have moved across to Lynskey when it started up, but that was years after Litespeed changed hands. In any case, my 2000 frame, nominally post-buyout, still carries a David Lynskey signature, as did previous model years. It’s highly likely that the hands that built my 2000 also built your 2003 - skilled Ti fabricators don’t grow on trees, after all